Most drip dispensers include a backplate and a front cover. The front cover is either hinged to the backplate by a single visible and accessible hinge or is removable. The cover conceals a reservoir which receives a liquid to be dispensed and incorporates a delivery system that allows the liquid to be dispensed slowly, normally a drop at a time. Because most drip dispensers have more than one major component, the joining of these components with some type of fastening device or material is typically required.
Various attempts have been made to overcome the disadvantages of multi-piece construction. Commercially available dispensers incorporate a single living hinge to achieve a single molding objective. However, this hinge, which attaches a backplate to a cover, is visible when the dispenser is in a mounted position. Additionally, there is an unsightly opening between the cover and the backplate along the side opposite to the hinge and along the top and the bottom of the dispenser. The hinge becomes increasingly unsightly with age and wear.
Tampering is another problem to which drip dispensers are susceptible. Tampering typically results in loss of the contents of the dispenser and/or damage to the dispenser itself. Consequently, most drip dispensers incorporate some type of locking device. Typically, locking devices require obvious holes or gaps in the body of the dispenser where a key or some other tool is inserted.
The dispenser described above, for example, has a small widened area at the junction of the backplate and the cover into which a tool is inserted to release the cover from a catch attached to the backplate. Because the opening is readily visible and accessible, the cover can be pried open with a screwdriver or the like.
Other commercially available dispensers require a key or a special tool to open the unit. The key is inserted into a hole in the bottom of the dispenser. However, such dispensers are susceptible to opening when they are hit sharply in an upward direction. Alternatively, the key opening may become plugged, thereby preventing servicing of the dispenser.
The drip dispenser of the present invention is manufactured from a one piece molding wherein the cover completely covers the backplate and the reservoir. The cover fits flush with any support on which the dispenser is mounted, and there are no visible hinges or openings in the mounted dispenser other than an outlet from the reservoir for the liquid that is to be dispensed. A cover locking means is completely unaccessible when the dispenser cover is in the closed position. The interior is only accessible by the knowledgeable application of pressure to lift the cover slightly from the backplate along an unhinged edge and by inserting a suitable tool to disengage the hidden cover lock.